Draper earns controversial win as Alcaraz loses
Jack Draper beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in controversial circumstances at the Cincinnati Open as Carlos Alcaraz smashed his racquet during a defeat by Gael Monfils.
Draper emerged a 5-7 6-4 6-4 winner, despite Auger-Aliassime arguing with the umpire that the Briton should not have been awarded the final point of their last-16 match.
The Canadian claimed the ball had hit the frame of Draper's racket and then the floor on match point, saying his opponent "shanked it on the floor", though the umpire disagreed.
Auger-Aliassime eventually conceded defeat, although replays appeared to back up his claim.
"I was too busy looking at him," said Draper during his on-court interview following the match.
"I didn't see what happened. I looked at the umpire straight away to see if he called a double bounce or not.
"As a player, I'm trying to focus on what I'm doing. I can't make that call if I'm not 100%.
"I said, when the supervisor came on, that if it was a double bounce and that he saw it clearly then I would have 100% replayed the point."
Auger-Aliassime faced Draper having beaten Casper Ruud 6-3 6-1 earlier in the day in a match delayed by rain.
Draper, who will play Holger Rune in the quarter-finals, added: "We've had a long battle out here and it would be ultra unfair on Felix if the match was won in that kind of way.
"I really couldn't make that call myself because I really didn't see it."
Draper beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round and, in response to the match point controversy, the Greek posted a message on social media saying, "oh my".
He added: "I don’t think I have ever seen a shot like this."
The worst match in my career - Alcaraz
Alcaraz was beaten 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by France's Monfils in a second round match carried over from the previous day because of rain.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who has won the French Open and Wimbledon titles this year, smashed his racquet after failing to break Monfils, 37, in the third set.
"I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racquet," said Alcaraz. "It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings.
"Most of the time I could control myself and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I've been feeling before.
"Today, I couldn't control myself, because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis."
The match resumed in a second set tie-break which Monfils won before claiming the decider for victory.
"I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career," said Alcaraz.
"I couldn't play. Honestly, I've been practicing really well here in this tournament. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well. I don't know what happened.
"I don't know how I felt like this, but I couldn't control myself. I couldn't be better. So this match, it was impossible to win."
Monfils went on to play Rune later on during the same day and was beaten 3-6 6-3 6-4 by the Dane.
Meanwhile, women's world number one Iga Swiatek made it into the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 win against Marta Kostyuk.
She will play Mirra Andreeva, who beat Italy's Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini 3-6 6-3 6-2.
"I'm happy I was solid. I was disciplined with all the things that I wanted to take care of," said Swiatek.
Aryna Sabalenka secured a 7-5 6-2 victory against Elina Svitolina, while Jessica Pegula won a delayed second-round match against Karolina Muchova 5-7 6-4 6-2 before beating Taylor Townsend 6-2 6-3 in her second match of the day.
